


Unexpected

by swaneewhistleandkazoo



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Post-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Some Humor, Speculation, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 11:05:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16366685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swaneewhistleandkazoo/pseuds/swaneewhistleandkazoo
Summary: Newt and Tina receive the news of Dumbledore’s death.





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> I was rereading the Half Blood Prince and this just popped into my head.

It was the determinedly repetitive rapping of a curved beak on the glass of their bedroom window that woke Newt up. Blinking blearily in the cold grey early morning light he rolled over and pressed his face into his pillow, maybe it would go away and he could go back to sleep. Even for him after a lifetime of rising with the sun, it was too early.

Unfortunately the rapping continued, louder and more insistent. Next to him Tina shifted restlessly in her sleep, unlike him she was a very light sleeper in fact he was quite surprised she hadn’t already been woken by that dratted owl. Reluctantly and with a groan he sat up, shivering slightly in the cool air and swung his legs to rest his bare feet on the cool wooden floor of their bedroom, spine popping pleasantly and kneaded his eyes with the heels of his hands and suppressed another groan.

Yes he decided it was far far too early to be up and he definitely wasn’t as young as he used to be.

The cold air made his scars from various mishaps and adventures ache and the urge to go back to bed and curl up with his nice warm wife until a more reasonable hour was a very tempting idea indeed.

An idea which was immediately set to rest when he saw that she was glaring between the owl at the window and him with sleepy annoyance “What’s up?” she asked as she curled up into a more comfortable position like a vexed kneezle. Unlike him once she was awakened she’d always found it difficult to sleep at the drop of hat unlike him. In fact she often joked that he could fall asleep on a washing line if he needed to.

“Owl” he replied, to which she continued to stare coolly at him for stating the obvious as he crossed the room and fiddled with the window latch to open it.

“If it’s from that bloody Skeeter woman from the Prophet asking to interview us for that wretched biography” Her tone turned scornful telling him exactly what she thought of Rita Skeeter’s proposed book on him “that she writing about you, I will not be held responsible for my actions”

 After all of those nasty reviews, ludicrous stories and intrusive articles she’d publish up about him, his work and his personal life he kind of hoped it was from Rita Skeeter just so he could set Tina on her.

The image of Tina hexing Skeeter made him chuckle “You’ll have to get in line, dear”

As usually the latch to their bedroom window was stuck no how much oil he put on it so it took a minute of fiddling and tugging for him to force it open. Silently he promised himself that today would finally be the day that he would replace the latch. It was a long held promise he made to himself every time he had to open this window, so much so that it was a recurring joke to his wife and children.

Finally it popped open and he held out his arms as a handsome barn owl soared through the window and perched on his arm. Wincing a little as the gleaming talons dug into his pyjama clad arm he carried it over to the bed and Tina flicked the light on for him. Perched on the edge of the bed his fingers weren’t as steady as they used to be as he fumbled to untie the letter from the barn owls leg. Fortunately the owl took it patiently, although as soon as he’d gotten the letter off it flew off out of the window before he could take it to give it a drink of water before sending it off on its long journey.

Holding the letter in one hand he groped one handed for his glasses with the other. Which weren’t in their usually place on his bedside table, confused he glanced around and Tina just calmly held them out to him, eyes narrowed against the sudden illumination. He really must stop reading in bed and then just discarding them between their pillows when he got tired, they kept on getting crushed when he lay on them and he had to use reparo on them over and over.

Glasses safely on his head he returned his attention to the letter, his heart sank a little when he saw the familiar parchment envelope with its Hogwarts insignia and green ink. His immediate thought was that something had happened to Rolf and his head spun with worry before reason prevailed over it. If something had happened to Rolf surely the school would have contacted their son first not his grandparents.

If it was from Dumbledore asking for his advice he’d to have a word with him about respecting other people’s schedules. But it wasn’t in Dumbledore’s familiar slanting hand. Ears ringing slightly he turned to look behind him at Tina and draw a measure of comfort from her nearness. “It’s from Hogwarts” He could hear the confusion in his own voice.

She sat up suddenly, alarm flickering across her face “Rolf?” She asked worriedly pressing herself against his back arms, winding around his waist, chin tucked against his shoulder. As with shaking fingers he urgently opened the letter and with her hair tickling his neck they read the letter together.

It was worse that he’d ever expected.

Hogwarts had been attacked, Dumbledore had been killed and many members of the Order of the Phoenix had been injured. Professor McGonagall had wanted to let him and Dumbledore’s other old friends and allies know before they read it in the Prophet in the morning.

The letter slipped from his fingers as he felt his eyes prick with tears. It felt like only yesterday he and Tina had advised Dumbledore and one Remus Lupin on how to infiltrate Greyback’s pack of werewolves. Since Dumbledore had come to him for help on how to treat Nagini’s venom and advice on how the Order of the Phoenix could parley with the Giants.

Dumbledore couldn’t be gone, he just couldn’t be. Tears were rolling freely down his face now. He’d never imagined that one day his old teacher and friend would be gone in fact part of him had always imagined Dumbledore living on forever, timelessly. Definitely outliving him, a mere average wizard, although Dumbledore was much older than he was.

A sob caught in his throat as his throat as memories flashed through his mind; of the man who hadn’t laughed at his odd desk shaped Bogart as he taught him how to banish it; who’d spoken up for him when he was expelled  from school; of his mentor and his friend.

They might not have seen eye to eye all of the time, in fact Newt had disagreed strongly with him on many occasions. But the respect they’d had for each other had been mutual and deep.

Tina’s cool hands gently turned him towards to her; tears glimmered in her eyes as she cradled his face. She hadn’t know Dumbledore as well as he had and he suspected that she hadn’t never fully trusted him but he’d done so much for them both, so much he couldn’t repay him for. “Oh Newt” She whispered sadly, thumb padding at his cheekbone wiping away at his tears.

Helpless to resist he let her hands guide him so that he lay cradled against her, face pressed into the curve between her neck and shoulder, arms wrapped around each other. One handed she pulled their blankets over them and cocooned in the private semi darkness he let himself cry, Tina was here and she’d catch him.

He didn’t know how long it took for him to cry himself out only that when he regained some kind of control of himself it wasn’t quite as dark as it had been and that Tina’s hands were still running smoothly up and down his back murmuring comforting nonsense in his ears. For a while he just lay there and listened to her heartbeat and the steady rise and fall of her breath. He was so lucky to still have her here with him after all they’d been through together, so very lucky.

Shifting slightly he let himself the luxury of just drinking in her features letting her presence push away the last of his grief. He can’t see the years that mark both of them now on her, to him she’s still the same lovely witch that he said goodbye to on that dock all those years ago with a promise of coming back to her in the near future with a copy of his book and tucking her silky dark hair behind her ear.

It hadn’t quite gone to plan but it had all worked out in the end. A lock of her hair was caught on her tear stained cheek and very carefully her swept it out of her face and behind her ear. She smiled watery at him at their old familiar gesture of affection.

Her hand stroked his still curly hair and he leaned into the gesture like a cat enjoying a good petting “Are you okay?” She asked him, dark eyes liquid soft.

Was he okay? Were any of them okay now Dumbledore was no longer standing between them and Voldemort?

Untangling himself from her, still a very pleasant experience he sat up and leaned heavily against the headboard. “No” he brushed the back of his hand against his eyes wiping away the last of his tears “But I will be” he paused a little before voicing his worry “With Dumbledore gone are any of us safe anymore?”

Tina sat up next to him arms locked around her knees “I don’t know” He could see it was a lot for the ex-auror to admit that “You Know Who” Despite Dumbledore’s constant insistence that fear of a name only increase fear of the thing itself, she’d never used Voldemort’s name saying it was only a matter of time before he put a jinx on it. She continued thoughtfully “he’s not like Grindelwald, he just wants power and the quickest way to get it.”

She didn’t bother adding what they both already knew, that he’s kill anyone who got in his way.

“I’ll contact Mad-Eye Moody at a slightly more reasonable hour” She smiled a little at the mention of her old protégé “And see what the Ministries plans are moving forward if they even have them and the Order’s as well.”

“I’m going to see about setting up a fidelius charm around the house” Determined to at least keep them all safe he let mind fast forwarded plotting and planning something else dawned on him and squeezing her hand to prevent her jumping up and rush off he added “And I’ll tell the kids to do the same” Although they almost certainly would be improving their homes security as they heard the news he wasn’t going to let anyone harm their children, they hadn’t let Grindelwald and they certainly wouldn’t let Voldemort.

Unable to return to sleep they sat together looking out of the opened (unfixed) window and watched the sun rise.

*

Dumbledore’s funeral was almost exactly as Newt had imagined it would be. It was stately, dignified, with powerful comforting words and just a smidge of flamboyance when his White Tomb rose suddenly out of flames.

Just like the man himself.   

Afterwards he found that he needed a moment to himself and while the wake was in full swing, he and Tina slipped out of the tent and into the warm sunshine and had a little wander around the school grounds hand in hand. She didn’t say anything as his feet took them on a tour of his old haunts and as he related each little story to Tina as they came across it which brought a smile to her face and occasionally when he’d done something absolutely ridiculous a little laugh.  

He loved making her laugh. And he knew that she had been deeply worried about him although she had tried to hide it.

Waves lapped gently as they picked their way along the edge of the Great Lake, admiring the view and occasionally catching glimpses of the Giant Squid languishing playfully in the shallows and the flash of the merfolk before they headed out into deeper waters.

For a while they just stood there and soaked up the peace and he let memories of Dumbledore wash over him again, the memories of his friend no longer hurt quite as much as they had when he’d just found out but were now coloured bittersweet.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of movement and turning slightly he glimpsed a trio of student who like himself and Tina were absorbing a little of the peace and tranquillity that the grounds of this great school could provide for them. The red head reminding him greatly of his dear student Charlie who had such a knack for dragons, the girl had a great deal of interestingly bushy hair and the other boy could only be Harry Potter.

Dumbledore’s protégé, he felt for the boy who’d been targeted his whole life, he really did. Feverently he hoped that whatever plans Dumbledore had put into place before his death would spin out into fruition. To be saddled with such a great burden of having to defeat such dark wizard’s must be no easy thing to live with.

And he’d just lost his mentor and protector.

Part of Newt was tempted to go over to the boy and give him a little comfort for his loss and to reassure him about Dumbledore. But before he could Tina’s hand in his restrained him. Like him her gaze was fixed on the little trio of friends, talking quietly and enjoying the sun. She shook her head at him.

“A war is coming Newt” She spoke so softly he had to lean in a little to hear her properly “And they’re going to learn a lot about Dumbledore and the world that they might not want to know about yet” He put his arm around her and together they looked out over the lake and she rested her head on his shoulder, the light silver of the lake dancing back in her eyes.

“Let them have one day Newt” She murmured and he pressed his cheek into her hair so she could feel him nodding his agreement, before they left the three friends to re-join the wake.

A war was coming, let the little trio enjoy one last peaceful golden day with each other before it began.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
